Iowa developer waives bankruptcy discharge on $17.7 million in debts

Jeffrey Garth Ewing, an Iowa developer of housing communities for older adults throughout the Midwest, has agreed to waive his bankruptcy discharge of more than $17.7 million in debts following an investigation by the Justice Department’s U.S. Trustee Program, according to the department. The USTP said its investigation found that Ewing transferred nearly $400,000 to companies he controlled in an effort to shield the funds from his creditors.

On June 15, the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Iowa approved Ewing’s voluntary waiver, the Justice Department said. As a result of the waiver, Ewing remains liable for his debts, and creditors are free to pursue payment from him after the case is closed.

Acting U.S. Trustee Mary Jensen of Region 12, which includes the Southern District of Iowa, said in the USTP’s announcement that debtors who attempt to defraud their creditors are attacking the integrity of the bankruptcy system and that the agency remains vigilant in keeping that system strong and fair.

According to the Justice Department, Ewing and his wife first filed Chapter 11 reorganization cases in March 2024 on behalf of themselves and several of their businesses, but those cases were dismissed a month later after they failed to file required bankruptcy documents. The couple then filed a Chapter 7 liquidation case in January 2025.

Ewing claimed that he and his wife had loaned nearly $400,000 to three of their businesses after the Chapter 11 dismissals but before the Chapter 7 filing, the Justice Department said. But the USTP’s Des Moines, Iowa, office found evidence that Ewing had instead transferred the funds to hide them from creditors during that period, according to the department. The USTP said the purported loans lacked documentation, with one exception: a promissory note that Ewing admitted he had backdated.

The USTP also said Ewing asserted that the couple’s adult children owned two of the companies involved, but its investigation found that Ewing maintained control over the businesses’ finances.

The U.S. Trustee Program says its mission is to promote the integrity and efficiency of the bankruptcy system for the benefit of debtors, creditors and the public. The agency consists of 21 regions with 82 field offices nationwide, along with an Executive Office in Washington, D.C.